05/10/2011
CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING
CITY OF CLEARWATER
May 10, 2011
Present: Cyndie Goudeau Chair
Jack Geller Vice-Chair
Norma Carlough Committee Member
Bud Elias Committee Member
Nicholas Fritsch Committee Member
Keith Protonentis Committee Member
Ana Tuzzo Committee Member
Howard Warshauer Committee Member
Sara Weber Committee Member
Donald van Weezel Committee Member
Douglas Williams Committee Member
Olin Wright Committee Member
Absent: Stan Vittetoe Committee Member
Also Present: Pamela Akin City Attorney
Nicole Sprague ORLS Coordinator
The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily
discussed in that order.
2. Approval of Minutes
2.1 Approve the minutes of the April 26, 2011 Charter Review Meeting as submitted in written
summation by the City Clerk,
Committee Member Protonentis requested to amend the minutes to reflect his vote in the
affirmative for agenda item 3.1 – Discuss Form of Government.
Committee Member Wright noted that his intent was not to include newspaper in the motion
regarding Charter Section 2.01(c)3 and he requested the minutes be amended by striking
newspaper from the motion.
Vice Chair Geller moved to approve the minutes as amended of the April 26, 2011 Charter
Review Committee meeting. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
3. New Business
3.1 Discuss Section 2.01(d)1 – Total Indebtedness
Charter Review 2011-05-10
Discussion ensued regarding information provided by the City’s Finance Director. The question
was raised if the 20% of the current assessed valuation was too much or not enough. It was
pointed out that this number likely was taken from a model charter. Staff was asked to have the
Finance Director come speak to the committee and clarify current assessed valuation (as stated
in charter) vs. taxable assessed value (as reported by the Finance Director).
No action was taken on this section
3.2 Discuss Section 2.03 – Election and Terms
Discussion ensued regarding over lapping terms. It was suggested to implement the 2, 2 and 1
method. This would entail 2 councilmember being elected in one year, 2 in the next year, and 1
in the following year; eliminating the possibility of 3 new councilmembers being elected at once.
It was determined that this would require an extra election for the City when there wasn’t a
county or national election to piggy back on. It was noted that this would cost the City in excess
of $100,000.
It was then discussed to eliminate term limits. The City Attorney commented that Council
suggested the extension of term limits as a discussion item. She said that Council might feel
that extending term limits would have a better chance of passing on the ballot vs. eliminating
term limits.
Member Geller made a motion to recommend eliminating term limits. The motion was duly
seconded and upon the vote being taken: Committee Members Goudeau, Geller, Carlough,
Elias, Protonentis, Tuzzo, Warshauer, and Weber voted “Aye”; Committee Members Fritsch,
van Weezel, Williams, and Wright voted “Nay”. Motion Carried.
3.3 Discuss Section 2.04 – Compensation and Expenses
It was noted that this was a suggested topic by Council. The Council typically has a travel and
training budget of $2,000 per Councilmember and $5,000 for the Mayor. Last year, the Council
voted to decrease the amount of their travel and training budget to remodel their City Hall
offices. The travel and training budget is used for travel to and from conferences/seminars,
lodging, and registration fees. It was noted that each Councilmember can be reimbursed for
mileage. Staff was requested to provide information regarding mileage and expense
reimbursements.
Discussion ensued about a fixed monthly stipend. It was noted that a stipend would be included
in their paychecks and would be considered income. It was noted that the Council are invited to
numerous community and charitable events and expenses are not reimbursed for these types of
events. A stipend would give Council more discretion on where to spend money. It would also
eliminate the need for them to fill out paperwork and it would decrease the amount of staff time
to process payments.
3.4 Set Agenda for Next Meeting
Charter Review 2011-05-10
It was decided to discuss Section 2.01(d)1 - Total Indebtedness, including a presentation from
the Finance Director, Section 7.02 - Charter Review Committee and how often it's required to
meet, and discuss the residency requirement for City Manager, Assistant City Managers, Police
and Fire Chiefs.
4. Citizens to be Heard - None.
5. Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 6:03 p.m.
Attest:
?, &,Ppv ? ql C,
ORLS Coordinato
C -r, Charter Review Committee
Charter Review 2011- 05_10 3